Ranking all 32 NFL quarterbacks after Week 8

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MVP-level players

There are three other names capable of ascending to the top tier and winning an MVP award. One of them has actually taken home the honor before and is at least very close to that form. Another dragged his team to the Super Bowl in a crowded AFC last season, while being on a heater yet again. Finally, there’s one guy who has the talent to keep climbing.

#3 Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens v New York Giants

In a hypothetical world where quarterbacks aren't allowed to run, Lamar would still be top-10, because of how much more proficient he has become at making pre-snap reads, attacking voids in zone coverage, as well as picking apart blitzes.

He’s fourth in the league with 15 passing touchdowns and his offense is currently number two in DVOA, despite not nearly having run the ball as effectively as they’ve done in the past.

Their combination of four/five backs has combined for just 710 yards on 150 attempts. Lamar has 553 himself – only five yards away from the top-10 among all NFL players, and he’s number one overall with 7.4 yards per attempt.

Last year's first-round pick Rashod Bateman has really only played four full games and the only wide receiver with over 150 yards right now is Devin Duvernay. You can argue Jackson is the most crucial piece on any offense in the league.

The only concern here has been the Ravens’ inability to maintain second-half leads, having been up by double-digits in all three of their losses. The defense has been the larger issue in that regard.

#4 Joe Burrow

I flipped numbers three and four around following the Bengals' disappointing 32-13 loss to the Browns on Monday.

Burrow was arguably as hot as any other quarterback in the league coming into that matchup, having combined for nearly 800 yards, along with three touchdowns and no picks in each of the previous two games.

All of a sudden, he had multiple turnovers for the first time since the season-opener, when he threw four picks against the Steelers.

It’s certainly not all on him, considering he didn’t have Ja’Marr Chase and the O-line has continued to put their QB under fire. Only Justin Fields has been sacked more than Burrow’s 29 times so far this season, which is concerning, considering the Bengals were dead-last in that statistic last season (51) and thought they had fixed that unit during the offseason.

Previously, I had been encouraged by the way Cincinnati had allowed Burrow to see the entire field, going almost exclusively to shotgun and spread formations, where his ability to quickly work through progressions and take perimeter shots made him look like an MVP candidate.

#5 Justin Herbert

I truly believe Herbert could be right up there with Allen and Mahomes. Yet, he is currently tied for 31st, throwing the ball exactly two yards short of the sticks on average, and 32nd in overall intended air yards per attempt at 6.3.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is shackling Herbert with the structure of his passing offense, treating him like he were a 40-year-old Drew Brees almost. When that mid-game script is thrown out of the window, we’ve seen Herbert make some unbelievable throws, at times with his ribcage feeling like it may burst any second.

However, playing in an offense that has only rushed for 82+ yards once this season and considering how compressed things feel every time he drops back, Herbert has started to regress in terms of field vision to some degree.